BJP Minister's 'Gobi Farming' Post Sparks Outrage, Triggers Allegations of Communal Politics

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A recent tweet by Assam Cabinet Minister Ashok Singhal has sparked widespread criticism online. The tweet, which included an image of a cauliflower farm, read: 'Bihar approves Gobi farming ✅.' The post was seen as a reference to the 1989 Bhagalpur communal riots, also known as the 'cauliflower burial case,' where over 110 Muslims were allegedly killed in Logain village, Bihar. Opposition leaders, including Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi and Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, slammed the post, accusing the BJP of engaging in 'vulgar and shameful' communal politics. Gogoi alleged that the use of 'gobi farming' imagery by a sitting Cabinet Minister marked a 'new low in political discourse.' He also accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of promoting a 'hatred for Indian minorities.' Gokhale claimed that the post had the approval of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and that the world should know about it. Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi also urged the Prime Minister to take action against the post, calling it 'shameful, divisive, and utterly unbecoming of a public representative.' The controversy comes at a time when the ruling NDA in Bihar is looking poised to return to power in the state, with a massive majority in the Assembly elections. However, the Opposition sees the post as an attempt to reference the dark chapter of the 1989 Bhagalpur communal riots, which led to the killing of 116 people. The incident has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many calling for Prime Minister Modi to take action against the Minister's post. The Opposition has accused the BJP of engaging in communal politics and trying to normalize 'dog-whistling' in the country's public discourse.